Amongst the most basic skills involved in operating a motor vehicle, is overtaking. Or passing as some might refer to it. For as simple as the procedure is in theory, the proper means of execution seems to stymie some drivers for their entire lives. True, there are several considerations and mental computations to make prior to overtaking another vehicle, but the pass itself should take only a matter of seconds to accomplish.
Some of the considerations which should enter the equation are: the other vehicle's speed, road conditions, amount and distance of oncoming traffic, your vehicle's present speed and above all, a realistic appreciation of what your vehicle can and cannot do. If you're cruising along in an aging little shitbox 4-banger, sucking on the tailpipe of a larger vehicle doing 120kmh... forget it! You're never going to be able to pass him. The only reason you're doing 120kmh at the moment is because undoubtedly you're caught in his draft and he's actually pulling you along. Either that or you're presently going downhill. Give up...
Clearly however, the major decision most drivers are faced with making, is whether they should attempt to pass at all. Many drivers veer out into the left lane, only to discover that their mouth has written a check that their vehicle is not capable of cashing. They can only at best match the other vehicle's speed, which results in what is called a "rolling roadblock". Both vehicles end up blocking both lanes, so nobody else can pass either. This is illegal in every civilized country in the World. In the US, the State Troopers will appropriately haul your ignorant ass over and fine you on the spot, for "creating a traffic hazard and obstructing the orderly flow of traffic". I'm not really sure about the various Provinces and Territories here in Canada, but do take it as gospel that you will earn the ire and ill-will of every driver around you, should you indulge in this particular practise. I personally will drive around or through any such offending drivers. I have on occasion roared through the space between the 2 vehicles, when such an occasion warranted it (and when there was sufficient space available to do so). No... don't tell me this is 'illegal'... So is blocking traffic for no other reason than bone-headed stupidity. I simply won't abide it... That and the fact that on a bike, I have far more manoeuvrability than any car and subsequently, many more options than simply sitting there and suffering through it. It's called power-to-weight ratio, Baby... No, it doesn't make anyone bulletproof... I've ridden far too long to believe that.
It goes without saying that I never undertake such manoevres lightly or if there is a passenger onboard. The bike handles totally differently with the extra weight onboard and I would never jeopardize another person's safety. With me alone on the bike, I am intimately familiar with the operating envelope of the machine. I know what she is capable of and what I cannot reasonably expect her to do. I know her rate of acceleration in any given gear, her manoeuvrability, her braking performance and how much space she takes up, including the width of the saddlebags. I've had almost 3 years and 46,000 kms to learn all this, on this particular bike. Most people in cars have no idea where their car begins and where it ends. Witness them as they swerve into oncoming traffic, simply to pass a cyclist who is well inside the bicycle lane on their right. You'd think they were passing a tractor trailer. They haven't a clue...
Then there are those people who are capable of turning a pass into a life's work. They can literally make a new career out of it. They swing out into the overtaking lane and develop a blistering passing rate of perhaps 1/2 kmh. If you've been trying to pass that same car on your right for the last 20 miles, it's not going to happen. Let off the gas and pull in behind him where you belong. Clearly, these folks should have decided against the manoeuvre. Or they will begin to pass and freeze, afraid of the vehicle they are trying to overtake (you less-than-confident drivers overtaking 18-wheelers pay attention here...). So they stay there, in the vehicle's blind spot, the most dangerous place they could possibly choose to be. Now they are not only blocking traffic behind them, but they stand a good chance of being crushed or sent off the road, should the other vehicle have to switch lanes for any reason (deer, moose, vehicle breakdown, etc...).
Then finally, there are those who will pass a slower vehicle, only to then go slower than the vehicle they have just passed. I have yet to figure the purpose of such a move, other than to piss off the person you have just passed (and everyone else behind him...).
In either case, it serves my purpose well as a motorcycle has no place among cars. I use such witless drivers to effect my escape, leaving all of them far, far behind. When riding, there is no safety in numbers.
He rides best, who rides alone...
Some of the considerations which should enter the equation are: the other vehicle's speed, road conditions, amount and distance of oncoming traffic, your vehicle's present speed and above all, a realistic appreciation of what your vehicle can and cannot do. If you're cruising along in an aging little shitbox 4-banger, sucking on the tailpipe of a larger vehicle doing 120kmh... forget it! You're never going to be able to pass him. The only reason you're doing 120kmh at the moment is because undoubtedly you're caught in his draft and he's actually pulling you along. Either that or you're presently going downhill. Give up...
Clearly however, the major decision most drivers are faced with making, is whether they should attempt to pass at all. Many drivers veer out into the left lane, only to discover that their mouth has written a check that their vehicle is not capable of cashing. They can only at best match the other vehicle's speed, which results in what is called a "rolling roadblock". Both vehicles end up blocking both lanes, so nobody else can pass either. This is illegal in every civilized country in the World. In the US, the State Troopers will appropriately haul your ignorant ass over and fine you on the spot, for "creating a traffic hazard and obstructing the orderly flow of traffic". I'm not really sure about the various Provinces and Territories here in Canada, but do take it as gospel that you will earn the ire and ill-will of every driver around you, should you indulge in this particular practise. I personally will drive around or through any such offending drivers. I have on occasion roared through the space between the 2 vehicles, when such an occasion warranted it (and when there was sufficient space available to do so). No... don't tell me this is 'illegal'... So is blocking traffic for no other reason than bone-headed stupidity. I simply won't abide it... That and the fact that on a bike, I have far more manoeuvrability than any car and subsequently, many more options than simply sitting there and suffering through it. It's called power-to-weight ratio, Baby... No, it doesn't make anyone bulletproof... I've ridden far too long to believe that.
It goes without saying that I never undertake such manoevres lightly or if there is a passenger onboard. The bike handles totally differently with the extra weight onboard and I would never jeopardize another person's safety. With me alone on the bike, I am intimately familiar with the operating envelope of the machine. I know what she is capable of and what I cannot reasonably expect her to do. I know her rate of acceleration in any given gear, her manoeuvrability, her braking performance and how much space she takes up, including the width of the saddlebags. I've had almost 3 years and 46,000 kms to learn all this, on this particular bike. Most people in cars have no idea where their car begins and where it ends. Witness them as they swerve into oncoming traffic, simply to pass a cyclist who is well inside the bicycle lane on their right. You'd think they were passing a tractor trailer. They haven't a clue...
Then there are those people who are capable of turning a pass into a life's work. They can literally make a new career out of it. They swing out into the overtaking lane and develop a blistering passing rate of perhaps 1/2 kmh. If you've been trying to pass that same car on your right for the last 20 miles, it's not going to happen. Let off the gas and pull in behind him where you belong. Clearly, these folks should have decided against the manoeuvre. Or they will begin to pass and freeze, afraid of the vehicle they are trying to overtake (you less-than-confident drivers overtaking 18-wheelers pay attention here...). So they stay there, in the vehicle's blind spot, the most dangerous place they could possibly choose to be. Now they are not only blocking traffic behind them, but they stand a good chance of being crushed or sent off the road, should the other vehicle have to switch lanes for any reason (deer, moose, vehicle breakdown, etc...).
Then finally, there are those who will pass a slower vehicle, only to then go slower than the vehicle they have just passed. I have yet to figure the purpose of such a move, other than to piss off the person you have just passed (and everyone else behind him...).
In either case, it serves my purpose well as a motorcycle has no place among cars. I use such witless drivers to effect my escape, leaving all of them far, far behind. When riding, there is no safety in numbers.
He rides best, who rides alone...
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